Asrani may have never been a marquee name up in sparkling lights or on outsized posters but the sheer proficiency with which he realised his characters has unleashed gales of laughter over five decades and made a significant contribution to several landmark films. Dinesh Raheja salutes the iconic actor.
Dharmendra got his He Man image with Phool Aur Patthar, which was so strong that he never managed to fully shrug it off.
Dharmendra's oeuvre was so phenomenal that there was never a phase in his professional life when he was in danger of falling into a rut, in terms of either the kind of films he starred in or the sort of co-actors he worked with.
Dharmendra remained one of the most loved stars of all time, even when his movies tapered off, and age caught up with him.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
Om Puri would have been 75 in October. We look back at his early years through these 16 pictures from his life.
S D Burman is that unique composer who remained successful right up to his death with his creative engines never running on empty.
'He will keep saying that I won't do it, but he still comes and does it; that's part of who he is.' 'He is certainly a prankster.'
'Why don't I organise an auction of cinematic memorabilia?' recalls Dinesh Raheja. 'There are sure to be legions of film buffs who will cherish the chance to own souvenirs intimately associated with their favourite stars onscreen.'
'So much pride you have brought for us all.'
We celebrate 50 years of Amitabh Bachchan by testing you on how well you actually know him!
From emotional showdowns to the ultimate happily-ever-afters, we recap 10 times Bollywood showed us couples fighting their gharwale for their love.
Sukanya Verma gives a toast to the man, the movies and the many, many, MANY memories he's made on big screen through 80 Amitabh Bachchan moments.
Amitabh Bachchan has come up with a tongue-twister challenge to promote Gulabo Sitabo.
Sukanya Verma looks back at the 1990 original Agneepath.
'Once when he was on a flight, the plane hit an air-pocket.' 'The turbulence outside caused it to see-saw violently which caused a lot of panic inside. While his co-passengers were crying and praying for their lives, Salil kaku was writing a song in his head.'
'Just to know him (Amitabh Bachchan) makes you a better artist,' revealed Amit Sadh on Instagram.
'Sholay had a sargam of human emotions.'
How cybercriminals used the names and likenesses of celebrities to trick people into scams.
'It's a tremendous accomplishment to have a father like Amitabh Bachchan and still be so sorted, to not taste the kind of success that he should have and yet be so balanced.'
'He listens to you and he will do exactly what you tell him to do.'
The court's order came on a lawsuit by the veteran actor alleging exploitation of his "publicity rights as a celebrity" by several individuals, including the person behind a "KBC lottery" to scam the public.
Few people have left the kind of imprint on India's advertising canvas as Piyush Pandey. An observer who seemed to know what made the country tick, a man who could find humour in life's everyday struggles and spin magic from it, one who understood that to reach the masses you needed to communicate with them in their language and context -- he was all of this and more.
'In these times of vitiated politics, we miss people like Advaniji and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in active politics more than ever.'
The cricketing fraternity on Monday paid glowing tributes to veteran actor Dharmendra, who passed away in Mumbai at the age of 89.
As Amitabh Bachchan turned 80 on October 11, his fans gathered outside his home for a glimpse of the legend.
So, do take the final segment of Sukanya Verma's four-part quiz.
As AI deepfakes threaten star personas and commercial interests, celebrities approach the courts with personality rights petitions.
'I have always broken my image every time I went on screen. I don't know what it means to be a Greek God but people used to call me one.'
Amitabh Bachchan, who turns 78 on October 11, has no plans for a birthday party.
'In KBC, the scripts are a small part of the game show, but he used to correct each and every word with so much dedication!' 'He would do that to avoid fumbling during the shooting.'
The 50th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kicked off in Panaji, Goa, on a grand scale.
As a storm brews online over a child's conduct on Kaun Banega Crorepati, Team India cricketer Varun Chakaravarthy has urged restraint and empathy.
'I have heard big stars, who are a part of Gen Z, demand not only food of their choice but also insist on taking food home for their family. And I am talking about stars who charge anything from Rs 40 crore to Rs 100 crore.'
Salman Khan was reportedly dating Aishwarya Rai during the 1999 filming of the musical, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, but they broke up sometime later.
Amitabh Bachchan turns 75 on October 11. Rediff.com celebrates the superstar's birthday with a special series, looking back at all the things that made him the BIG B.
Sukanya Verma looks at all the AKs Bachchan has worked with.
